The Technical SEO Audit Checklist: What to Check When a Website Is Not Performing
A technical SEO audit checklist checks crawling, indexing, site speed, mobile usability, internal links, canonical signals, structured data and security. SEO-Agency-Brisbane.com.au uses these checks to connect technical issues with ranking, traffic and user experience problems.
What a Technical SEO Audit Checks
A technical SEO audit checks whether search engines can access, understand and efficiently process a website.
We review website performance, search engine crawling and indexing. We also check whether technical barriers reduce organic search visibility or make pages harder to use.
Our review can cover crawlability, indexability, site architecture, JavaScript rendering, page experience and structured data. We connect each finding to its likely search impact and user impact.
Before the Audit: Prepare the Website Data
Website data gives our team the context needed to interpret crawl and search performance findings. We compare platform settings, search data and changes made during the website’s history.
Before the audit, we organise the following information:
How We Check Crawling and Indexing
Crawling and indexing checks show whether search engines can reach important pages and store them in search results.
We check whether Googlebot can access key templates, resources and navigation paths. We review crawlability, crawl budget signals and server response behaviour.
We then compare indexability signals, including robots.txt rules, the meta robots tag and any noindex directive. We also compare the XML sitemap with indexed pages and their HTTP status codes.
A 404 error can remove a useful page from a clear user journey. A 5xx error can point to a server problem that blocks both visitors and crawlers.
During the Audit: Check Technical Access
Technical access checks show whether important pages and resources are available to users and search engines. We test the paths that support discovery, rendering and indexation.
Our team checks the following areas:
How We Check Canonicals, Redirects and Internal Links
Canonical, redirect and internal-link checks confirm that search engines receive clear page relationships and usable paths.
We check each important canonical URL and canonical tag for accuracy. A canonical signal should support the preferred page, not point to an unrelated or unavailable URL.
We test 301 and 302 redirects, then identify redirect chains and redirect loops. We also find broken internal links and review whether internal linking supports the site architecture.
An orphan page may be live but difficult for crawlers and visitors to discover. We compare crawl data with internal links to locate these gaps and possible duplicate content.
Technical SEO Issues to Compare in the Audit
We compare each issue by severity, reach and likely outcome. This helps the team focus on fixes that remove the clearest barriers first.
The report should give each issue an owner and a practical next action.
| Issue severity | Affected URLs | Search impact | User impact | Recommended action | Implementation owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical access issue | Important landing pages or templates | Pages may not be crawled or indexed | Visitors may face errors or missing content | Remove the access barrier and retest | Developer or platform owner |
| High linking or canonical issue | Related page groups | Page relationships may be unclear | Navigation may be confusing | Correct links, canonicals or redirects | SEO and development team |
| Performance issue | Slow or unstable page types | Page experience may be weaker | Pages may feel slow or jumpy | Improve loading, response and stability | Developer and content team |
How Core Web Vitals and Mobile Usability Affect Performance
Core Web Vitals and mobile usability reveal whether pages load, respond and remain stable for visitors.
We review Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint and Cumulative Layout Shift. These measures help us assess loading, response and visual movement.
We also check responsive design, mobile usability, JavaScript performance and image optimisation. These factors shape page experience and can affect how easily visitors use important pages.
We can connect findings from Technical SEO with template changes, content priorities and development tasks.
During the Audit: Check Speed, Mobile Experience and Security
Speed, mobile experience and security checks show whether technical quality supports search visibility and user trust. We review both page-level symptoms and wider platform settings.
Our team checks the following areas:
Red Flags That Need Immediate Investigation
Red flags need prompt review because they can affect search access, traffic or user trust. We compare each signal with recent changes and technical data.
After the Audit: Prioritise Fixes and Verify Results
After the audit, we turn findings into ordered technical SEO recommendations. We verify each change so the issue is not treated as fixed before the evidence supports it.
Our team follows this workflow:
What the Technical SEO Audit Report Should Include
A useful technical SEO audit report links each issue to affected pages, likely impact, recommended action and verification steps.
We include an executive summary for decision-makers and an issue list for implementation teams. Each finding should show evidence, business impact and the recommended fix.
Implementation notes explain what needs changing and who may need to action it. A verification method then explains how we’ll confirm the fix through a crawl, search data or performance retest.
Structured data should also be reviewed where schema markup supports eligible page types. We check the structured data markup for accuracy, relevance and technical errors.
How We Scope a Technical SEO Audit
Audit scope depends on the website’s architecture, platform, page types, technical risks and performance symptoms.
We consider website size, CMS, site architecture and JavaScript framework before selecting the audit depth. International SEO, ecommerce filters and migration risk can add further review areas.
Our team may use crawl data, Google Search Console data, a log file and rendering tests. The final scope should match the problem, the platform and the decisions the business needs to make.
For a tailored review, SEO Audits can be scoped around the pages, systems and symptoms that matter most.
Questions About Technical SEO Audits
How can I tell if robots.txt is blocking Google?
Robots.txt testing shows whether rules block Googlebot from important pages or resources. We compare the file with crawl data and key website paths, then check for conflicts with meta robots tags and noindex directives.
How can I check whether a page is indexed by Google?
Google Search Console inspection data shows whether Google has indexed a page and whether a known issue prevents indexing. We compare that result with the page’s HTTP status, canonical tag, sitemap entry and noindex settings.
What causes a website to lose organic traffic after a redesign?
A redesign can reduce organic traffic when URLs, redirects, internal links, canonicals, content or rendering change in harmful ways. We compare the migration history with crawl data, index coverage, server responses and search performance.
Should structured data be included in a technical SEO audit?
Yes, structured data should be included when markup supports important page types. We check schema markup for accuracy, relevance, technical errors and alignment with visible page content.
What does a technical SEO audit report need to show?
A technical SEO audit report needs to show the issue, evidence, affected URLs, business impact, recommended fix, implementation notes and verification method.
Which technical SEO issues should be fixed first?
Issues that block crawling, indexing, secure access or important user journeys should be fixed first. We then prioritise widespread performance, linking, canonical and structured data problems by impact and implementation effort.
Technical SEO findings become useful when the team can action and verify them. Contact us to discuss the website pages, platform and symptoms you want reviewed.
